Somewhere hidden in the archives of Babylon was a copy of Jeremiah’s scroll. This scroll was probably sixty feet long, rolled on a cylinder and stored in a round elongated wooden or pottery cylinder and protected for safekeeping. Daniel’s eyes came to rest on the twelfth verse of the twenty-fifth chapter. Now he knows for sure that all the exiles (war prisoners children and grand children) will return to Jerusalem.
Insomuch as time is drawing close when will it happen? After all God could rescind the agreement on the basis that Israel had not fulfilled their end of the bargain (Covenant). It is amazing that Daniel gets all that he prayed for and more than he bargained for. First Gabriel tells Daniel that he came to give him skill and understanding. Here is the sum of that understanding: From the Persian decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the rebuilding of the temple will be forty nine years, then four hundred and thirty four years later the Messiah will come, then three and one half years later he will be crucified and three and one half years later the Gentiles will be called to the kingdom. This commentary will give you all the details.
Unlocking the Divine Mathematics of the Seventy Weeks
Daniel 9:1
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
Daniel makes it clear that the Darius that he is talking about is the son of Ahasuerus. This Darius succeeded Belshazzar, and was the immediate predecessor of Cyrus. The prophet is very precise in pinpointing the date in which he was privileged to read a copy of Jeremiah’s book. There were fourteen Monarchs who reigned 207 years till Alexander the Great subdued the last prince in 331 B.C. Here is the list of the Kings and the amount of years and or months they reigned.
- 538 BC - Cyaxares II reigned 2 years.
- 536 BC - Cyrus reigned 7 years
- 529 BC - Cambyses reigned 7 years and 5 months
- 522 BC - Smerdis reigned 7 months
- 521 BC - Darius Hystaspis reigned 36 years
- 485 BC - Xerxes I reigned 21 years
- 464 BC - Artaxerxes Longimanus reigned 40 years & 3 Months.
- 424 BC - Xerxes II reigned 2 months
- 424 BC - Sogdianus reigned 7 months
- 423 BC - Darius Nothus reigned 19 years
- 404 BC - Artaxerxes Mnemon reigned 46 years
- 358 BC - Darius Ocius reigned 21 years (Took the name of Artaxerxes)
- 337 BC - Arses reigned 2 months
- 335 BC - Darius Codomanus reigned 4 months
It was during the reign of this last king that Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire.
Daniel 9:2
In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
The Jews were forbidden to practice their religion in Babylon, however there must have been a private collection of the scrolls hid somewhere, anyway Daniel has the privilege of reading from Jeremiah’s scroll. Daniel knew that the captivity had started in 606 B.C. he subtracts 70 years from that date and arrives with the year of 536 B.C.
Daniel 9:3
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
To set ones face unto the Lord is equal to saying that he made a firm resolution, or commitment. Daniel is requesting God’s grace, he will go without food, dressed in a hair cloth garment, this piece of cloth was woven from course animal hair and usually used for sacks, he would wrap a piece of it around himself and tie it with leather throngs. Then he put ashes on his head.
Daniel 9:4
And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
Daniel pleaded with the Great and dreadful God, his plea was like a lawyer in the court room who cites a precedent in order to get a similar ruling from the judge. He pleads with the God who keeps the covenant and mercy to them that love him. He is pleading that somehow God will not rescind the seventy year agreement on the basis that his people have not keep their end of the agreement. Therefore, Daniel is going to plead the case in prayer and fasting and sackcloth and ashes that God will bring the people of Israel back to their homeland and restore the former things, although Israel has not done its part and is not worthy of being restored.
Daniel 9:5-6
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Daniel confessed that he and his people had swerved from God’s injunctions and regulations, that they had rebelled, transgressed, back-slid, apostatized, and turned from Gods ordinances. Listen to the testimony of scriptures:
And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Ex. 32:9
Daniel 9:7-14
O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day... As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us...
We know, that with the Lord there is righteousness and integrity. But, with us there is a look of shame. Daniel makes it plain that the whole country, including exiles and slaves and war prisoners, all were living a life of shame for their transgressions. The misfortune that came upon them was clearly written in the Law of Moses, but this people had ignored the warnings. Because Israel done nothing to appease, nothing to propitiate, no supplication, God brought the evil that the prophets had warned them of upon them.
Daniel 9:15-19
And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand... O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Daniel in his plea before the Judge of all the earth is offering an impassioned plea reminding God that when He brought Israel out of Egypt He gained renown. But, the impoverished people in captivity have become a byword and a shame. First, Daniel acknowledges that the problems are their own fault. However, in view of the mocking from the heathen, the shame they had borne for seventy years, and had been a byword among the nations, he now asks God to remove the reproach.
This is a passionate plea for God to open his eyes and see the miseries and the state of Jerusalem and then to respond, not because of their good works or holiness but rather out of his great compassion and tender mercy. He offers a triple request: First he asks God to hear, second he asks God to pardon, and third he asks God to perform.
Daniel 9:20-23
And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel... Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel... touched me about the time of the evening oblation... and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Daniel was still occupied with the business of praying when suddenly he is touched by an angel. Gabriel said that the purpose of his appearance was to enlighten, to make Daniel skilful in understanding and to give him discernment. Gabriel tells Daniel that when he had begun praying about the matter that word was dispatched to him that he was to relay to Daniel regarding the events of the future.
Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Remember from verse 2, Daniel was praying that God would fulfill his promise to Jeremiah and end the Babylonian captivity after 70 years–now coming to an end. Daniel didn’t ask for more, but he sure got it! After an exhortation that would encourage the fainthearted, Gabriel proceeds not only to affirm that God would fulfill His promise to His people, but also to deliver one of the most miraculous prophecies found in scripture: when the Messiah would come.
The seventy weeks that are determined upon Israel is generally understood as seventy weeks of years. This being true, it would equal 490 years. These 490 years would bring about what God’s people had longed for from the beginning: the coming Messiah, the one through whom all nations would be blessed, the one to take away the sin of the world, the righteous one, the anointed…Jesus.
A note from the 1672 Geneva Bible states: "He alluded to Jeremiah’s prophesy, who prophesied that their captivity should be seventy years; but now God’s mercy should sevenfold exceed his judgment, which should be four hundred and ninety years, even to the coming of Christ."
Daniel 9:25
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
The challenge is to know and understand that from the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem unto the Messiah (Jesus) would be 69 weeks of years (483 years). The prophecy starts with the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem. There were four commandments issued by the Persian kings relating to the return and rebuilding of Jerusalem:
- Ezra 1:1-14, First year of Cyrus (537 BC) – Under the leadership of Zurubbabel.
- Ezra 6:1-12 Second year of Darius (520 BC) – Under the leadership of Haggai.
- Ezra 7:1-27 Seventh year of Artaxerxes (457 BC) – Under the leadership of Ezra.
- Neh. 2:1-8 Twentieth year of Artaxerxes (444 BC) – Under the leadership of Nehemiah.
To understand the prophecy is to understand the commandments. The decree of 457 BC is the decree referred to by the revelation given to Daniel. Then he promised that Messiah the Prince would come 483 years later, i.e. 26 AD – the very year Christ, our Savior, was baptized, anointed by the Holy Spirit. We know Jesus was baptized in 26 AD because according to Luke 3:23, Jesus was 30 years old at His baptism and it was the 15th Year of Tiberius.
Daniel 9:26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Now the time after the 69 weeks is described. Remember that there were 7, then 62 weeks (49+434 years), bringing us to the time after 26 AD. The Messiah was cut off when He was crucified 3 ½ years later in 30 AD.
Daniel tells us that the people of the prince shall come and destroy the city. It is clear from a close analysis of the text that the destruction of Jerusalem is not figured in the 70 times 7 (490 years). This refers to Titus, the Roman Prince, who came one generation later, burned the temple, and destroyed the city. The city was desolate and there was no Jewish Nation until 1948.
Daniel 9:27
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The covenant was confirmed in the midst of the last or 70th week of years. Jesus, the Messiah, was anointed at the end of the 69th week of years. 3 ½ years later (in the midst of the week) He was crucified. At the day of Pentecost the new covenant was confirmed and ratified.
Pentecost confirmed the covenant, but only for the Jews. The covenant had not yet been confirmed for the many (i.e. the gentile world) until one very important event 3 ½ years later. Acts 10 records the story of Cornelius–the first gentile converted to the Way. This event happened just as it did for the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 10:47). So, the confirmation of the Gentiles at the end of the 70th week brings fulfillment to this prophecy, and to the promise God made to Abraham almost 2000 years earlier.